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Sorption of uranium on freshly prepared hydrous titanium oxide and its utilization in determination of 236U using accelerator mass spectrometry

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Abstract

The determination of 236U with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) requires efficient separation methods with high concentration factors. The article proposes an alternative method of uranium separation from aqueous solutions to commonly used iron co-precipitation. This “homogeneous precipitation” is based on unique properties of fresh hydrous titanium oxide, prepared by hydrolysis of its organic precursor—tetra-n-butylorthotitanate—directly in the aqueous sample solution. Besides high uranium uptake, the results shows very promising properties of this uranium-titanium oxide precipitate for 236U-AMS measurements providing up to 4 times higher negative ion yield comparing with common uranium oxide matrix.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague, grant No. SGS 14/154/OHK4/2T/14, by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic under grant No. FR-TI3/245, by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of CR under grant No. 7AMB12AT022 and by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research under grant No. CZ14/2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 7, 115 19, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    I. Špendlíková & M. Němec

  2. Faculty of Physics, Isotope Research and Nuclear Physics, University of Vienna, Währingerstrasse 17, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    P. Steier

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul University, 34320, Istanbul, Turkey

    G. Keçeli

Authors
  1. I. Špendlíková
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  2. M. Němec
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  3. P. Steier
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  4. G. Keçeli
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Correspondence to I. Špendlíková.

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Špendlíková, I., Němec, M., Steier, P. et al. Sorption of uranium on freshly prepared hydrous titanium oxide and its utilization in determination of 236U using accelerator mass spectrometry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 311, 447–453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-5013-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-5013-0

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